Dreams and Inbetweens is the first full length album and fourth release in as many years from Lunaire, a Melbourne based post-rock outfit with their minds and music blissfully in the clouds. This offering sees the continuation of their dreamy, gliding sound that will leave you in a trance somewhere amongst the inbetweens. The self-described shoegazers have looked down to see their feet firmly in their comfort zone, but it’s immediately apparent that they’ve found the sound they’ve been dreaming of and fine-tuning over the last few years.
Since their initial three-track demo release at the start of 2010, the melancholic Melbournians have contributed to a split album with fellow shoegazers from San Francisco, Airs, as well as punching out their debut EP With the Same Smile as Those Days in mid-2012. They are regulars on the local live scene, having touted their wares amongst the hazy Victorian pub circuit, including a spot on the Summer Shoegaze Fetival held at Bar Open in Brunswick in early January 2014. The biggest feather in their cap to date, however, was their slot supporting English alternatives Swervedriver at the legendary Northcote Social Club.
This newest offering sees the boys borne of regional Victoria – the oddly prolific music-making Warrnambool – drop the fuzzed-out guitars of earlier releases, adopting a more immense, atmospheric sound. The intro and title track is an immediate sign of this maturation of their style, which continues throughout the second track I Couldn’t Leave You Alone and the rest of the album.
Drawing influence from Sigur Ros, Alcest and Slowdive, Lunaire successfully create a vast landscape of sound for the listener to get lost in, allowing you to slip into a beautifully scored daze. The album picks up through the centre, with standout tracks Goodbye and Evenfall exhibiting more upbeat opening bars reminiscent of Placebo’s trademark sound. They all, however, manage to capture an airy, climactic conclusion. The closing tune Dream Reader epitomises the dreamy finale, as the 8 track effort fades to completion.
No strangers to lengthy songs, with previous offerings running anywhere up to 13 minutes, and the preceding EP originally one long song cut into four tracks, Dreams and Inbetweens sees some tracks touch on the seven to eight minute mark, although you’ll hardly notice if you allow yourself to be immersed in the soundscape. Slated as “an album about introspection, romance, dreaming and the beauty of night”, these themes are readily apparent and accessible in the soaring and wistful vibe of the record. If dreamy post-punk is your thing or you want to bliss out to gliding guitars, be sure to take a look at Lunaire. This album indicates that the boys have found their feet, and will see the world every time they look down. You can find Dreams and Inbetweens on the artists’ Bandcamp page.
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